Former Miami coach Butch Davis fired at North Carolina

North Carolina has fired head football coach Butch Davis after… (Grant Halverson, Getty…)

July 27, 2011|By Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

Butch Davis is out as the head coach at North Carolina.

The former Miami Hurricanes coach was informed by UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp and Director of Athletics Dick Baddour of the decision Wednesday evening.

The decision was made following a Board of Trustees closed door session.

"To restore confidence in the University of North Carolina and our football program, it's time to make a change," Thorp said in a press release on the school's website. "What started as a purely athletic issue has begun to chip away at this University's reputation. I have been deliberate in my approach to understanding this situation fully, and I have worked to be fair to everyone involved. However, I have lost confidence in our ability to come through this without harming the way people think of this institution. Our academic integrity is paramount and we must work diligently to protect it. The only way to move forward and put this behind us is to make a change."

The football program has been under investigation by the NCAA and received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA in late June. That noticed accused the program of illegal benefits as well as academic fraud centered around a former assistant coach and tutor.

Last season, 14 players missed at least one game due to the investigations with several more forced to miss the entire year.

Thorp also stated that the decision was not related any change in the ongoing NCAA investigation but was based on the 'damage' occurred by the school over the past year.

The 59-year-old Davis was about to start his fifth season as the Tar Heels coach. He was 28-23 including a 1-2 bowl record. He spent six seasons as the head coach at Miami from 1995 to 2000 where he went 51-20 before leaving to coach in the NFL.

"The last 13 months have been some of the most difficult that anyone associated with the athletic department and football program have dealt with," Baddour added. "At this time, a decision has been made to change the leadership of the football program to help the entire University community move forward."

The school scheduled a news conference for Thursday morning to discuss the dismissal.

mmurschel@tribune.com or 407-420-5719. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/collegegridiron365.